Rudyard Kipling"
āWhen you're left wounded on Afganistan's plains and
the women come out to cut up what remains, Just roll to your rifle
and blow out your brains,
And go to your God like a soldierā
General Douglas MacArthur"
āWe are not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.ā
āIt is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.ā āOld soldiers never die; they just fade away.
āThe soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and be the deepest wounds and scars of war.ā
āMay God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't .ā āThe object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his.
āNobody ever defended, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.
āIt is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.
The Soldier stood and faced God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as bright as his brass
"Step forward you Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint."
I've had to work on Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.
But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep.
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,
The Soldier squared his shoulders and said
And I never passed a cry for help
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.
I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.
If you've a place for me here,
Lord, It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."
There was silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.
"Step forward now, you Soldier,
You've borne your burden well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."
Anwar: Reject intolerant, politically motivated terms like 'infidel' By Malaysiakini Team
Sunday, September 25, 2022
Malaysiakini : No one should be in a position to question anotherās faith, said PKR
president Anwar Ibrahim who spoke out against a recurring culture of
branding political rivals as āinfidelsā or non-believers.
In an interview with Malaysiakini, he said the act of labelling other Muslims as infidels was often political and goes against the basic concept of moderation. Most
recently, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, in stressing his partyās
rejection of working with Pakatan Harapan for the coming 15th general
election, claimed many among them are ānon-believers and have no moralsā.
Anwar
pointed to local Muslim NGOs, particularly the Muslim Youth Movement
Malaysia (Abim) that he led as its second president from 1974 to 1982,
and to this day maintains involvement in its various activities. āWhy I chose to be associated with them is because they gave this more moderate, but also knowledgeable views.
āThe
number of serious works published by them, based on classical texts by
renowned scholars, is quite remarkable,ā said the Harapan chairperson. āIslamic parties (now), itās more to what their āguruā says.
āThatās
why when we talk about the issue of ākafir mengkafirā (calling each
other infidels) which was unfortunately repeated, I reject it in its
entirety,ā said Anwar who also alluded to Hadiās 1981 speech where he
declared that whoever supported Umno were infidels.
Koel : For too long, Malaysians have been bullied, browbeaten and cowed by the unread and the illiterate. The silence of those with education and power to speak has been the greatest disappointment. Their silence has sometimes been responsible for brutishness and ignorance flourishing in Malaysia.
Take the term, liberalism. Liberalism is an idea defined in sociology, philosophy, etc. It is time to clearly define terms by reference to established bases of study. Failing to fact check and address immediately the nonsense spouted by inane idiots in politics has sometimes led to repression, intolerance, prejudice and discrimination being seen as virtues in Malaysia.
So in that context, it is good to see attempts to examine the meaning and definition of terms like liberalism which has been bandied about by bullies with power. Words are just words. It is a reflection of abysmal ignorance to show fear about a word.
But interpretations matter. Actions matter. What are the bases of interpretation and what are the actions that follow those interpretations? That matters. Problem arises when the most ignorant is allowed to shout the loudest.